Hoffa Joins AFSCME President Lee Saunders to Mobilize Union Voters
TOLEDO, Ohio, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa and AFSCME President Lee Saunders called on hundreds of members of the Teamsters and AFSCME to get out the vote on Nov. 6 and do their part to protect the middle class during a rally today at Teamsters Local 20 in Toledo, Ohio.
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Hoffa urged the crowd to take action and vote for candidates that support working families in Ohio and support Issue 2 – an amendment on the November ballot that creates a set of common sense redistricting rules that require fair representation by both parties while making sure the average citizen's voice is heard.
"This is the most important election for working families in 30 years," Hoffa said. "We can either sit on the sidelines and watch pro-worker, pro-labor candidates like Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Rep. Betty Sutton lose their races because of a rigged system or we can get out the vote to pass Issue 2 and make sure our candidates stay in office and protect the collective bargaining rights of both public and private union members."
Saunders called on all Ohioans to do their part in November.
"We all know that Ohio is key to this election," Saunders said. "No Republican presidential candidate has ever won without the Buckeye state. So here's where we draw a line in the sand to stop Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan."
Hoffa also voiced his support for President Barack Obama in his bid for reelection.
"We hear all this rhetoric from the other side claiming that President Obama has failed us, has failed to lead during one of the worst financial crises our country has ever seen," Hoffa said. "But Ohioans know better – they've seen jobs come back to the state, the auto industry revitalized. We know the truth and we're going to vote to keep this recovery on track!"
Bill Lichtenwald, President of the Ohio Conference of Teamsters and Teamsters Local 20, stressed how important Issue 2 is to working families.
"For too Long Ohio's politicians have manipulated redistricting to affect the outcome of elections and protect their jobs," Lichtenwald said. "Voting for Issue 2 will make sure that they can't rig the system anymore and we can elect candidates that have our interests at heart."
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.
SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters